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How La Causa Continues to Make its Mark on Milwaukee, 50 Years On
How La Causa Continues to Make its Mark on Milwaukee, 50 Years On
For half a century, La Causa, Inc. has played a hands-on role in the wellbeing of greater Milwaukee’s Hispanic community. Its beginnings can be traced back to the first bilingual day care center on Milwaukee’s south side, opened by three Hispanic women who understood the need for more inclusive childcare services in their neighborhood.
La Causa’s compassionate commitment to community service has only grown over the past five decades. Sprouting from that small day care center opened in 1972, La Causa has evolved immensely, continually expanding its services to make a difference in more lives throughout Milwaukee. Its roots are still grounded in education, with its Early Education & Child Care Center serving children from four weeks to four years old. The center also offers enriching before- and after-school programs for children 12 and under.
With such stellar services, it’s not surprising that the center has earned a five-star rating from Wisconsin’s YoungStar Program and is fully accredited by the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education — accolades that are even more impressive when considering that La Causa also has four other divisions of focus.
La Causa’s Crisis Nursery & Respite Center is a community resource for child abuse prevention. It also stays attentive to other crisis situations that could arise in the community, striving to prevent the long-lasting, detrimental effects trauma can have on children's wellbeing.
La Causa Charter School is home to nearly 800 students from K4 to 8th grade. It offers bilingual and bicultural education to ensure an innovative, multicultural environment. In keeping with innovation, La Causa Charter School emphasizes science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) in its curriculum to prepare students for the jobs of the future.
La Causa’s Social Services division programs expand beyond the organization’s child-centric focus to offer both youth and adult programming that include programs such as, treatment foster care, recovery support, treatment clinic, ancillary services, and much more. And last but not least, La Causa’s administrative office provides support that includes HR, IT, finance, and fund development expertise to all of La Causa’s various teams and departments.
Community needs change and evolve over time, so each of La Causa’s divisions and services are carefully chosen to address relevant issues facing specific demographics.
“As we celebrate our 50th year serving the Milwaukee metro area, we continue to constantly keep our finger on the pulse of the community to ensure their needs are met,” La Causa’s President and CEO George A. Torres explained.
Challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic have made it even more essential for La Causa to keep up with the community’s needs. Thankfully, the past year has largely been a success for La Causa and its clients.
“Despite the far-reaching fallout from the pandemic, 2022 was an exceptional year for us,” said Torres. “Through our partnership with Town Bank, we have been able to further strengthen our financial position by restructuring long-term debt and completing the financing, design, and construction of a beautiful new corporate office building in Milwaukee.”
La Causa’s corporate office building opened last fall in the city’s Walker’s Point neighborhood, marking the organization’s fifth location. The state-of-the-art building has allowed La Causa to establish its forever home.
“Thanks in large part to our great partnership with Town Bank, we have realized our goal of setting permanent roots in the community,” said Torres.
Supporting and uplifting communities requires a true team effort. As two pillars of the greater Milwaukee area, La Causa and Town Bank have forged a powerful partnership upon a shared passion for community service.
“As with any successful partnership, the key is how people interact, how they look for common ground, and how they show a willingness to compromise so that both parties benefit from the relationship,” Torres continued. “Town Bank has committed for the long run to be a strong ally and stands at the ready to help as needed.”
To learn more about the difference La Causa is making in Milwaukee, visit www.lacausa.org.
